Derivation of 30 human embryonic stem cell lines—improving the quality

We have derived 30 human embryonic stem cell lines from supernumerary blastocysts in our laboratory. During the derivation process, we have studied new and safe method to establish good quality lines. All our human embryonic stem cell lines have been derived using human foreskin fibroblasts as feeder cells. The 26 more recent lines were derived in a medium containing serum replacement instead of fetal calf serum. Mechanical isolation of the inner cell mass using flexible metal needles was used in deriving the 10 latest lines. The lines are karyotypically normal, but culture adaptation in two lines has been observed. Our human embryonic stem cell lines are banked, and they are available for researchers

UPF2 is a critical regulator of liver development, function and regeneration

BACKGROUND: Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) is a post-transcriptional RNA surveillance process that facilitates the recognition and destruction of mRNAs bearing premature terminations codons (PTCs). Such PTC-containing (PTC+) mRNAs may arise from different processes, including erroneous processing and expression of pseudogenes, but also from more regulated events such as alternative splicing coupled NMD (AS-NMD). Thus, the NMD pathway serves both as a silencer of genomic noise and a regulator of gene expression. Given the early embryonic lethality in NMD deficient mice, uncovering the full regulatory potential of the NMD pathway in mammals will require the functional assessment of NMD in different tissues. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here we use mouse genetics to address the role of UPF2, a core NMD component, in the development, function and regeneration of the liver. We find that loss of NMD during fetal liver development is incompatible with postnatal life due to failure of terminal differentiation. Moreover, deletion of Upf2 in the adult liver results in hepatosteatosis and disruption of liver homeostasis. Finally, NMD was found to be absolutely required for liver regeneration. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Collectively, our data demonstrate the critical role of the NMD pathway in liver development, function and regeneration and highlights the importance of NMD for mammalian biology

Accelerometer derived physical activity patterns in 27.890 middle-aged adults : The SCAPIS cohort study

The present study aims to describe accelerometer-assessed physical activity (PA) patterns and fulfillment of PA recommendations in a large sample of middle-aged men and women, and to study differences between subgroups of socio-demographic, socio-economic, and lifestyle-related variables. A total of 27 890 (92.5% of total participants, 52% women, aged 50-64 years) middle-aged men and women with at least four days of valid hip-worn accelerometer data (Actigraph GT3X+, wGT3X+ and wGT3X-BT) from the Swedish CArdioPulmonary bioImage Study, SCAPIS, were included. In total, 54.5% of daily wear time was spent sedentary, 39.1% in low, 5.4% in moderate, and only 0.1% in vigorous PA. Male sex, higher education, low financial strain, born in Sweden, and sedentary/light working situation were related to higher sedentary time, but also higher levels of vigorous PA. High BMI and having multiple chronic diseases associated strongly with higher sedentary time and less time in all three PA intensities. All-year physically active commuters had an overall more active PA pattern. The proportion fulfilling current PA recommendations varied substantially (1.4% to 92.2%) depending on data handling procedures and definition used. Twenty-eight percent was defined as having an "at-risk" behavior, which included both high sedentary time and low vigorous PA. In this large population-based sample, a majority of time was spent sedentary and only a fraction in vigorous PA, with clinically important variations between subgroups. This study provides important reference material and emphasizes the importance of a comprehensive assessment of all aspects of the individual PA pattern in future research and clinical practice

Longitudinal 10-year changes in dietary intake and associations with cardio-metabolic risk factors in the Northern Sweden Health and Disease Study

Background: Dietary risks today constitute the largest proportion of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) globally and in Sweden. An increasing number of people today consume highly processed foods high in saturated fat, refined sugar and salt and low in dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals. It is important that dietary trends over time are monitored to predict changes in disease risk. Methods: In total, 15,995 individuals with two visits 10 (±1) years apart in the population-based Västerbotten Intervention Programme 1996–2014 were included. Dietary intake was captured with a 64-item food frequency questionnaire. Percent changes in intake of dietary components, Healthy Diet Score and Dietary Inflammatory Index were calculated and related to body mass index (BMI), serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels and blood pressure at the second visit in multivariable regression analyses. Results: For both sexes, on group level, proportion of energy intake (E%) from carbohydrates and sucrose decreased (largest carbohydrate decrease among 40 year-olds) and E% protein and total fat as well as saturated and poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) increased (highest protein increase among 30 year-olds and highest fat increase among 60 year-olds) over the 10-year period. Also, E% trans-fatty acids decreased. On individual basis, for both sexes decreases in intake of cholesterol and trans-fatty acids were associated with lower BMI and serum cholesterol at second visit (all P < 0.05). For men, increases in intake of whole grain and Healthy Diet Score were associated with lower BMI and serum cholesterol at second visit (all P < 0.05). Also for men, decreases in intake of trans-fatty acids and increases in Healthy Diet Score were associated with lower systolic blood pressure at second visit (P = 0.002 and P < 0.000). For women, increases in intake of PUFA and Healthy Diet Score were associated with lower BMI at second visit (P = 0.01 and P < 0.05). Surprisingly, increases in intake of sucrose among women were associated with lower BMI at second visit (P = 0.02). Conclusions: In this large population-based sample, dietary changes over 10 years towards less carbohydrates and more protein and fat were noted. Individual changes towards the Nordic dietary recommendations were associated with healthier cardio-metabolic risk factor profile at second visit